After all, you still want to make sure you can cover the costs of your potential medical bills while saving a little green in your pocket.  With that in mind, you should never be thrifty when it comes to car accident insurance — if you are personally injured and under-insured, what then?

Car accident insurance in California requires you to have a minimum of $15K-$30K in coverage.

What's the minimum amount of coverage required by California state law when it comes to car accident insurance?

Our firm’s legal resources state that California requires a minimum of $15,000/$30,000 for bodily injury liability insurance for all drivers.  This means your car accident insurance policy will provide $15,000 per person and $30,000 per car accident if there is more than one person who is personally injured in the car accident.

The purpose of liability insurance is to compensate injured parties in a car accident for their bodily injury (including past, present and future medical expenses).  When a person is at fault for a car accident, and the other party is injured, the responsible person’s bodily injury insurance should pay for each of these damages.

Bodily injury policy limits of $15,000/30,000 only apply to the injured parties in a car accident who are deemed not at fault.  Also, this is not a way for you to recover from your own insurance policy.  The limits are to protect your personal assets should you be found responsible for a car accident.

If you are injured in a car accident, and it was not your fault, the responsible party’s insurance should pay for your personal injury medical treatments.  That being said, it is a good idea to hire an experienced car accident attorney to help recover the greatest financial settlement possible from the responsible party’s insurance company.

Call us now at 1-800-655-6585 for a FREE consultation with an experienced San Diego car accident lawyer or click here to submit your case for a FREE online review.  We work on a contingency basis, so there is no fee until we win your case.

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It isn’t yet known whether or not Medicare fraud is becoming more prevelant.  What is known is that too many people rely on Medicare for medical bill payments, and that’s a problem that could make it harder for honest people to afford medical treatment.

Our San Diego personal injury lawyers know that Americans over the age of 65 and some people with extreme circumstances rely on Medicare to help them pay back their medical bills.  In a system where too many people rely on the service, it is important to make sure that the actions of a small group of people don’t adversely affect the lives of many.

According to the report, the questionable claims include Medicare prescriptions from doctors who were dead and requests for some medical supplies.  To reduce the amount of suspect behavior, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will be starting an interactive Web site in December allowing for the tracking of Medicare payment information.

Our personal injury lawyers in San Diego want people who need Medicare to be able to get it without any problems.  If what the report says is true and there are fraudulent claims being made, could that be making how much hospitals ask for in return for service higher?  And if that is also true, could that be making it more difficult for hospitals to accept new patients on Medicare?

Any way you look at it, insurance fraud such as this only makes things worse for everyone.

Please contact us for a free consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney — we speak both English and Spanish — at (800) 655-6585.  Click here and you may also submit your case for a Free Review.  No fee if no recovery.

Report Says Medical Bill Payments Were Fraudulent is a post from: San Diego Accident Blog

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A new study from the Harvard Medical School shows that uninsured injured persons had a 39% higher chance of experiencing a wrongful death following a major personal injury than a person who was both personally injured and insured.

Our firm’s San Diego personal injury lawyers know all too well the consequences of not having insurance, beit health insurance or auto insurance.

The release from Havard said that “although the lack of insurance may not be the only explanation for the disparity in trauma mortality, the accidental costs of being uninsured in the United States today may be too high to continue to overlook.”  According to the study, Americans without insurance had an 80% higher chance of experiencing a wrongful death.  That percentage rose to 89% for younger injured persons, those to less likely have health issues or become sick, yet prone to experiencing personal injuries m0re often, such as teenage drivers.

Even with all the data, the answer remains hidden as to why the uninsured have the odds against them.  Signs point to treatment delays or different kinds treatment all together that is not given to the insured.  Injured persons with insurance were found to often be better at communicating their medical problems with doctors as opposed to those lacking insurance.

In spite of all these problems, Brent Eastman, of Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla in San Diego, critiqued the study’s results.

It is “disturbing to see from this study that, even with guaranteed access, the uninsured have a higher adjusted mortality rate after trauma,” Eastman said.  “Inclusive trauma systems in the United States are designed to ensure that all trauma patients have expeditious transfer to the level of care commensurate with their injuries regardless of insurance status.  Such systems should also guarantee the same level and quality of care to all patients.”

Our personal injury lawyers in San Diego hope that one day everyone can receive the same high quality healthcare, no matter your race, age, sex, gender, or nationality.  After an auto accident, you can have major traumatic brain injuries or spinal cord injuries, all of which will cost a pretty penny by the time the medical bills come around.  What are you going to do if you do not have the insurance to pay?  (Check out our medical treatment resources and our medical bill payment resources for help in that matter.)

Either way, worrying about paying your full medical bills should not be your top priority when you are going through the pain and suffering of a life changing personal injury.

Call us now at 1-800-655-6585 or click here for a free consultation with an experienced personal injury lawyer to find out how we may help you.  We look forward to providing good advice to help you make smart decisions about your case in either English or Spanish.  There is no fee if no recovery.

Insurance Accidents Nearly As Fatal As Car Accidents is a post from: San Diego Accident Blog

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Large settlements are becoming more and more rare, however, because some states across the country now have a cap on medical malpractice settlements.  States like Texas have a $250,000 cap on medical malpractice settlements, which basically means if you are awarded a medical malpractice settlement, you are limited to getting $250,000 regardless of what the actual settlement is.

If you have personal injuries from medical negligence, would you think this is fair?

Our firm’s San Diego personal injury lawyers believe that regardless of any kind of restriction, a person whose injuries are caused by medical negligence should receive exactly what a jury awards.  Sure, $250,000 sounds like enough money to pay for medical bills or compensate for pain and suffering, but what if the negligence that caused your injuries leads to millions of dollars in medical bills, lost wages or pain and suffering.

A 2000 study done by Harvard Medical School found that medical mistakes caused the wrongful deaths of about 98,000 people.  Hospitals have done what they can to correct or prevent further mistakes from happening, but the possibility of medical malpractice is very real because of the tools or drugs used in surgeries and procedures.

For example, the wrongful death of a teenager in Florida was caused by a fatal reaction to anesthesia before a post-operative surgery for breast augmentation.  If you are that girl’s parents, would $250,000 be enough to compensate for the loss of your child?

Personal injury and wrongful death can happen just about anywhere, but one place you shouldn’t expect them is the hospital.  The people that work there have the responsibility of treating problems, not causing them.  There are medical treatment resources that can help you find out the best hospitals for patient care.  It’s often very important for you to know about who is going to be treating your injuries.

Our personal injury attorneys believe holding people responsible for your injuries is our second priority.  Number one on our list, making sure you get what you need.

Call us now at 1-800-655-6585 or click here for a free consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney and find out how we can help you.  We speak English and Spanish, and we look forward to providing advice for your case.  No fee if no recovery.

Are Medical Malpractice Settlement Caps Fair? is a post from: San Diego Accident Blog

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Our firm’s San Diego personal injury lawyers know that no matter what causes your child’s injury, your biggest concern should be getting medical treatment as soon as possible.  With smaller bodies and a lower pain tolerance, children are prime targets for serious personal injury and even wrongful death. 

One of those children’s injuries reportedly happened to Bryan Whitsell.  Bryan was a normal two-year-old boy, until his life was changed forever by a freak accident at his grandparent’s house.  Whitsell was run over by his grandfather’s lawnmower and suffered catastrophic injuries to every part of his body.  After numerous reconstructive surgeries and operations, it was determined that Bryan would never father children.

After the many surgeries, Bryan’s parents were looking at over $750,000 in medical bills.  Jessica Morrison and Christopher Whitesell did not know what to do yet filed a personal injury lawsuit against Jay Morrison (Bryan’s grandfather) who owned J&D Trucking & Excavation.

“It was a debate on whether we had to sue the grandparents and the grandparents’ company, or go after the insurance company that represented them,” said Jason Delk, the attorney representing Bryan and his family.

Millions of children’s injuries occur every day, but if your child’s injury was caused by someone else, then you should consider hiring an experienced personal injury lawyer in San Diego to help handle your child’s injury.

Call us now at 1-800-655-6585 or click here for a free consultation with an experienced San Diego personal injury attorney to find out how we can help you.  We speak English and Spanish, and we look forward to providing advice for your case.  No fee if no recovery.

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According to the details of the case, the medical center was negligent when a baby wasn’t diagnosed and treated with meningitis, the inflammation of the membranes of the brain and spinal cord, quickly enough leading to brain damage.

Our personal injury lawyers in San Diego know that mistakes happen in hospitals, and one medical malpractice mistake can result in life-altering conditions or injuries as well as wrongful death.  The brain and spinal cord especially need to be treated with extra care because they control so much of the human body.  One mistake can lead to a spinal cord injury that could cause paralysis.

Children’s injuries in hospitals can make their life difficult before it even gets started.  For example, in this case, brain damage at a young age can easily cause permanent disabilities that make it hard for these kids to develop correctly and have difficulties in school.

The child’s lawyer said the medical malpractice settlement — thanks to the unanimous verdict on August 28, 2009 which ruled in favor of her — will be put in a trust to help pay for previous and future medical bills.

Even though this mistake has left a child with serious disabilities, at least responsibility was assigned to the hospital that was negligent.  The medical malpractice settlement doesn’t correct the mistake that happened, but it can help the young child get the proper medical treatment.

It’s only fair that, should you make a mistake, you do what you can to make things better afterward.

Call us now at 1-800-655-6585 or click here for a free consultation with an experienced San Diego personal injury attorney and find out how we can help you.  We speak English and Spanish, and we look forward to providing advice for your case.  No fee if no recovery.

Cedars-Sinai To Pay Med Malpractice Settlement is a post from: San Diego Accident Blog

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Our firm’s experienced San Diego personal injury lawyers can sometimes help you get medical treatment for many injuries.  If you are in a car accident, for example, the amount of medical bills can be very high if head injuries or spinal cord injuries (i.e. paraplegia & quadriplegia) occur.

According to information provided by the survey, a patient in Illinois was charged over $12,000 for cataract surgery, while Medicare pays $675 for the same procedure.  In California, another patient’s knee operation cost over $20,000 — Medicare pays $584.  And a New Jersey patient paid $72,000 for a surgery (Medicare covers for a little over $1,600).

The graph below displays how many people in the United States have problems paying medical bills for hospital treatment of injuries or illnesses.

“It’s the wild, wild West when it comes to prices of anything in the U.S. health care system, whether for a doctor visit or for hospital charges,” said Jonathan S. Skinner, a health economist at Dartmouth.

The survey looked at ten companies that insure patients in the 30 most heavily populated states.  Their prices were the highest in 2008.  Researchers excluded two types of charges likely to have errors, though: charges that were higher than 10,000 percent of Medicare’s fees for a procedure (or more than 2,000 percent of Medicare’s fees) and also charges that were more than 50 percent higher than the next-highest bill for the same surgery.

Getting help paying your medical bills is difficult because of the high cost associated with them.   These expenses are making it more difficult for a new government healthcare plan to get pushed through the Senate and Congress.  Insurers claim that high doctors costs are also part of the problem and needs to be addressed as well. 

Personal injury lawyers, like us in San Diego, are committed to helping you afford your medical treatment.  While the rising cost of medical bills can make that more difficult, we are still committed to helping our personal injury clients get as healthy as possible after their injuries.

Call us now at 1-800-655-6585 or click here for a free consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney and find out how we can help you.  We speak English and Spanish, and we look forward to providing advice for your case.  No fee if no recovery.

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Whether you’re on your way to school, your grandma’s house, or to work, you’re probably getting there by riding in a car or a school bus.  The only difference is that in a bus usually seat belts are not present.
As personal injury lawyers and car accident attorneys, we know how dangerous it is to if you do not wear your seatbelt as not doing so often leads to serious personal injury in automobile accidents.  Aside from property damage and injury to the passengers, wrongful death accidents can occur.

A 23-year-old Hemet man suffered a major injury to his left leg yesterday when the car he was driving crashed into a North County Transit District bus. 

The Chrysler Sebring was eastbound on state Route 76 near Olive Hill Road about 2 p.m. when it drifted into the westbound lane and struck the bus.  Emergency crews removed the man from the Sebring, and he was taken to a hospital.

The cause of the accident is not yet known but two of the top causes of car accidents — drunk-driving and driving under the influence of illegal drugs – have been ruled out of this head-on auto accident.

One of the nine passengers aboard the bus suffered a minor injury, while the bus sustained minor property damage.

Personal injury lawyers know all too well that auto accidents can lead to pain and suffering and emotional trauma, both of which come with high medical bills.  If you or a loved one has been involved in a severe automobile accident and is seeking legal assistance, our law offices are ready to help you.

Call us now at 1-800-655-6585 or click here for a free consultation with an experienced personal injury lawyer to find out how we may help you.  We look forward to providing good advice to help you make smart decisions about your case in either English or Spanish.  No fee if no recovery.

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That could include paying amounts a patient owes toward their health plan’s deductible and a percentage of the cost of care under a co-insurance requirement.  Patients who are uninsured also are being asked for money upfront, or at least signed up for a payment plan.

Our firm’s San Diego personal injury lawyers ask: after your treatment for a personal injury, if you were forced to pay the total amount for the treatment of your injury, could this not put you in debt and force you to seek help paying medical bills?

Furthermore, suppose you were short for cash and were turned away for medical services because you couldn’t pay the entire bill right away.  If this was for a life-threatening injury this could result in a wrongful death.

Medical practices and clinics increasingly are asking people to fork over their entire out-of-pocket charge as they’re walking out after a visit and doctor’s offices have started demanding patients pay in advance for outpatient surgeries and expensive imaging scans.  Often times the offices come up with a bill based on what they expect the services to cost which in turn makes the patient pay more expensive medical bills without reason.

We — as personal injury lawyers in San Diego – believe this new system by medical professionals is not right.  You should not have to worry about paying your full medical bills when you are going through the pain and suffering of a significant injury.

Call us now at 1-800-655-6585 or click here for a free consultation with an experienced personal injury lawyer to find out how we may help you.  We look forward to providing good advice to help you make smart decisions about your case in either English or Spanish.  No fee if no recovery.

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Medical billing advocates the are middlemen and women that help patients deal with paperwork and arguments frequently associated with paying back medical bills.  In general, they find errors in bills, negotiate with your insurer to appeal coverage denials or negotiate lower fees with care providers.

Our firm’s personal injury lawyers in San Diego believe in making medical bills possible for patients to pay.  As such, we have some resources that help lower your medical costs.  It’s our belief that your medical bills should be the last thing on your mind when you’re recovering from personal injury.

Of course health care is not free, but there should be a good way for patients to pay their medical bills in the event of injuries.  Some injuries can result in higher medical bills because of their severity.  For example, spinal cord injuries causing paralysis (i.e. paraplegia and quadriplegia) would first lead to ambulance or transport charges followed by all of the immediate and future care.

To help get her medical bills paid, Susan Redstone, a freelance fashion stylist and author, used a medical billing advocate after a horseback riding accident last summer.  Redstone only had a minimum insurance policy, so when a bill for $16,000 from the helicopter ambulance service came, she was concerned.

Redstone consulted with Victoria Caras, a medical advocate in Aspen, Colorado, who told her how to approach the medical transportation company to lower her bill in the best way possible.  Thanks to Caras, Redstone was able to get a 25 percent discount in exchange for paying the bill in full.

If you decide to look into a medical billing advocate, you should keep these three things in mind:

1. Billing Errors

According to the Medical Billing Advocates of America, 9 out of 10 bills from hospitals often have errors that have to do with billing for services not provided.

2. Denial of Coverage

If your claims have been denied for whatever reason, you have the right to appeal the decision.

3. Negotiating Fees

Unfortunately, appeals may be denied and the patient may still be responsible for the bill, but in these cases, a medical advocate can help reduce out-of-pocket costs by negotiating lower rates directly with your medical provider.

The Medical Billing Advocates of America does list advocates in various states and by specialties, but as personal injury lawyers, we recommend hiring an experienced personal injury attorney in San Diego to help you with medical bills from your injuries.

If you or a loved one have been injured because of someone else’s negligence, then we urge you to contact our bilingual offices as soon as possible at 1-800-655-6585 or please click here for a free consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney in San Diego.  We handle all cases on a contingency fee basis, which means that you owe us nothing until we recover money on your behalf.

Medical Billing Advocates Help You With Medical Bills is a post from: San Diego Accident Blog

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